Tragedy struck, however, in 1921. Roosevelt, now 39, contracted polio, a fearsome and incurable disease that paralyzed his legs. He devoted a considerable part of his fortune in the 1920s to renovate a spa in Warm Springs, Georgia, said to have curative waters that he had sought to aid in his recovery. He founded the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation, which continues to accommodate people with physical In later years, a cottage he had built there would be called “the Little White House.”
Roosevelt's iron determination played a major role as he struggled to recover, but he never regained the use of his legs. He frequently resorted to a wheelchair, but largely managed to hide the fact — with the media's help — throughout his later career. Eleanor Roosevelt once recalled, "I know that he had real fear when he was first taken ill, but he learned to surmount it. After that I never heard him say he was afraid of anything."
Tragedy struck, however, in 1921. Roosevelt, now 39, contracted polio, a fearsome and incurable disease that paralyzed his legs. He devoted a considerable part of his fortune in the 1920s to renovate a spa in Warm Springs, Georgia, said to have curative waters that he had sought to aid in his recovery. He founded the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation, which continues to accommodate people with physical In later years, a cottage he had built there would be called “the Little White House.”
Roosevelt's iron determination played a major role as he struggled to recover, but he never regained the use of his legs. He frequently resorted to a wheelchair, but largely managed to hide the fact — with the media's help — throughout his later career. Eleanor Roosevelt once recalled, "I know that he had real fear when he was first taken ill, but he learned to surmount it. After that I never heard him say he was afraid of anything."
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